Our selection of music for the Christian year begins in Advent with E.W. Naylor's setting of Vox dicentis - the voice crying in the wilderness. There are several contrasting sections, of which the last, featuring two soloists, uses the text 'He shall feed his flock like a shepherd; and he shall gather the lambs with his arm' also set by Handel in Messiah. The Advent then continues with Gibbons' setting of John the Baptist's account of his ministry - the music is in the 'verse anthem' style much favoured in early 17th century England, where a solo voice introduces each section of text (originally the voice would have been accompanied by a consort of viols) and the same music is then taken up by the full choir. Christmas is evoked by music from our own century, beginning with Kenneth Leighton's setting of the words from the 15th century 'Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors' - better known as the Coventry carol, sung by the women of Bethlehem after Herod's slaughter of their children, and continuing with three works by Howells which he entitled 'Carol-Anthems'. The first, to a poem by Frances Chesterton, wife of the poet G.K. Chesterton, was originally sung by the Bach Choir, the second has an anonymous 14th century text and the last sets a poem by F.W. Harvey, a fellow native of Gloucestershire. All three were written during the First World War, and published in 1919. Andrew Gant's setting of the traditional text What child is this? Was written this year, and we are delighted to be able to give its first recorded performance.

Ash Wednesday is the traditional context for the singing of Psalm 51, the Miserere, and the setting by Allegri, who worked at the Sistine Chapel in the early 17th century has become justly famous. For many years the Pope refused to allow copies to be removed from the chapel, and the story goes that Mozart wrote the piece out from memory after attending a performance and thus brought the piece to a wider audience. 0 Vos omnes is a text traditionally associated with the service of Tenebrae on Holy Saturday, and we have recorded a little-known but beautiful setting by Pablo Casals, the renowned 'cellist whose musical background was much influenced by the Church.

'Easter' is the title of George Herbert's poem set by Vaughan Williams as the first of his Five Mystical Songs for baritone solo and chorus, first performed at Worcester in 1911. The poem is full of musical imagery, to which Vaughan Williams, although not himself a conventional Christian believer, was able to respond with inspiration. Ascensiontide finds us back in the early 17th century with an anthem by Peter Philips, an Englishman who spent much of his working life on the Continent, becoming organist of the Chapel Royal in Brussels in 1611. His setting, for five voices, of verses from Psalm 47 makes a strong feature of the voices imitating the sound of trumpets.

Edward Bairstow, who was organist of York Minster for over 30 years at the beginning of this century, composed his anthem Blessed City, heavenly Salem for a parish choir festival in Bradford. Intended for a Dedication festival, the piece is effectively a set of variations on the plainsong tune Urbs beata and requires a virtuoso organist as well as wide dynamic contrasts from the choir. Durufle's Ubi caritas is also based on a Gregorian theme (it is the first of a set of four such motets) but is in a much gentler style with subtly coloured harmonies. The text - 'Where love and loving-kindness dwell, there God is - the love of God has gathered us into one' is particularly suitable for sacramental use; it is sung frequently at Eucharistic celebrations and weddings. Remembrance Sunday is evoked by John Ireland's powerful setting of Greater love hath no man. Ireland retained links with church music throughout his life alongside his success as a composer on a wider scale, and it may be that a work such as Greater love will be his most enduring legacy.

We conclude with items of a particular relevance to St Bride's. The setting of the Grace, taken from a 1545 publication, the Laudi Spirituali is heard at many formal occasions throughout the year, and Parry's setting of William Blake's Jerusalem has significance for us beyond its special place in the heart of every Englishman, because of its association with the campaign to release British journalist John McCarthy, held captive in Beirut for over 5 years, a campaign with which St Bride's was closely involved and which finally met with success in the summer of 1991. Andrew Gant's arrangement of I'm forever blowing bubbles was made for a memorial service to a young Guardian journalist, who was a fanatical West Ham supporter, and was then adopted by the Stationer's Company for their annual service, which traditionally takes as its theme 'life is a bubble'.